Wreath laying commemorates World War I anniversary

Only a couple of dozen folks turned out for the wreath laying at Fort Bayard National Cemetery on Thursday, the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entering World War I, but that didn’t make it any less moving.

The event was organized by members of the Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society, the folks who have continually and consistently been keeping the old fort’s history alive. The group collaborated with the Department of Veterans Affairs, which provided the wreath and placed flags along the entrance to the cemetery and on the graves of many of the WWI veterans buried there. Cemetery Director Susan Parks was unable to make it down from Santa Fe but Joseph Trujillo, program support assistant for Fort Bayard National Cemetery, gave the introduction and retired history professor, Dr. Doug Dinwiddie, gave the keynote speech for the wreath laying, focusing on the comradeship these veterans had for one another. But first he asked if anyone in attendance had any family members who were WWI veterans buried in the National Cemetery. Several people raised their hands, including Shirley Lacy, whose father, Amel Black Elder, fought in the Great War and is interred at Fort Bayard. Lacy said her father was originally from Magna, Utah, but came to the area in 1942 to work for Kennecott Copper.

Dinwiddie talked about how the war was billed as the “war to end all wars,” and the “war to make the world safe for democracy.”

“Perhaps no other men in history went to war with such lofty illusions,” he said.

But by the time the U.S. entered the war in 1917, it had been raging for several years and the horrors of war had quickly become evident to the “Doughboys,” he said, who fought more for their fellow comrades in arms.

The massive destruction and injuries caused by machine gun nests, artillery fire, and poison gas were widely known by the time the U.S. entered the war, he said.

“So why did so many men volunteer or agree to conscription?” he asked.

He said many social scientists and others have asked that question. Why do you go over the hill, if not for your brother beside you on the battlefield, or your wingman in the air, or your fellow shipmates.

“The brotherhood forged in war cannot be comprehended,” he said.

Many of the men had grown up with the stories of their granddaddies who fought in the Civil War and that influenced them as well, he said. Quoting from the novel “All Quiet on the Western Front,” he said, “The best thing the war produced was a comradeship in arms.”

District 38 Rep. Rebecca Dow was also in attendance as she was in town for several other meetings, she said.

“I was glad to be able to be here today,” she said. “And what an honor to meet the daughter of a WWI veteran,” she said after meeting Mrs. Lacy. “Regardless of where you stand on the issue, we honor those who served.”

Just how many WWI veterans are buried at Fort Bayard is a question that the Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society hopes to get answered, but not all of Grant County’s WWI veterans are buried there, like Don Turner’s grandfather, Leslie Goforth.

Goforth enlisted in 1917 and Turner has many photos of his grandfather, who later went on to become a Grant County sheriff, serving from 1951-52. Goforth, who died in 1964, is buried in the Masonic Cemetery on Cooper Street, where his marker bears a Masons symbol, but does not note that he was a veteran or a WWI veteran. That isn’t that uncommon, Dinwiddie said previously, as many of the markers of the men who were buried at Fort Bayard in the 1920s and 1930s did not bear any marks designating them as veterans of WWI. So, while it’s likely that 300 or more WWI vets are buried at Fort Bayard, there are likely others, like Goforth, who are buried elsewhere. Along with Leslie Goforth, his brother, Fred, also served in WWI and Turner also has many photos of him.

“I’m proud of them,” he said of his ancestors who served.

Along with the wreath laying, the Preservation Society held the last showing in their 10-part film series on WWI on Thursday night, “The Last Voices of World War I.”

If you missed those events, there is still time to reflect on Grant County’s history related to WWI. The Silver City Museum is also hosting a small WWI exhibit, featuring WWI uniforms, pins, a Victory Medal and photos from its collection that will be on display in the new education and outreach room through May 14. The Museum is also hosting a talk, “Grant County in the Great War,” later this month, on Thursday, April 27, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Museum Annex, 302 W. Broadway.

Christine Steele may be reached at christine@scdailypress.com.

Don Turner places some photos of his grandfather, Leslie Goforth, a WWI veteran, on his grave on Thursday, the 100th anniversary of the U.S.’s entry into the war.